happy valley mourned the loss of joe paterno. >> the ncaa vacates all wins of the penn state football team from 1998 to 2011. >> reporter: and accepted crippling sanctions. the closure came when jerry sandusky was finally put behind bars. the saints lost their coach when the nfl came down hard for bounties. and lance armstrong's legacy came off its wheels. his seven tour de france titles era erased. on the ice, nhl players and owners quickly forgot the stanley cup run as arenas stayed dark with winter approaching. >> usa! usa! >> reporter: summer provided more to smile about. in london, michael phelps became the most decorated olympian in history. american athletes follow his lead, winning 104 medals in all, 46 gold. and in the major leagues, three pitchers joined elite company. >> a perfect game for felix hernandez. >> that's a perfect game. >> perfect game! >> reporter: while tigers third baseman, miguel cabrera slugged his way to the first triple crown since 1967. the giants rallied back in two playoff series and swept the tigers in the fall classic to become world series champs. f